What if cars could, instead of exacting an environmental toll through the release of CO2 into the atmosphere, actually start to reverse that process? That's the idea that Mazda is working on right now - not merely making a car that's CO2-neutral, but actually CO2 negative.
How does that work, then?
This is the Mazda Mobile Carbon Capture system, which the Hiroshima-based company is developing under its new programme called 'The Joy of Driving Fuels a Sustainable Tomorrow.'
The Japanese car maker says that its plan is to develop this new technology so that "driving more leads to CO2 reduction by 2035.” The idea is that by running a combustion engined car on carbon-neutral synthetic fuel or biofuel, and capturing the CO2 it emits as it drives, it will actually be possible to cause a net reduction in the amount of CO2 in the air.
Hang on, that looks like a racing car…
Good spot - Mazda is, of course, a company keen on racing, and it's going to use a Mazda3 hatchback, designed around this carbon capture system, in the Super Taikyu Series, a touring car-style racing series in Japan. As ever, racing really can improve the breed and if something like this works in the crucible of a motor race, then it should work on the road too.
In that race, Mazda Spirit Racing 3 Future Concept, with the racing number 55, ran on HVO bio-diesel, while in its exhaust system there's a carbon-capture system using zeolite with a porous structure as a CO2 absorbent and demonstrated that it can absorb CO2 from the exhaust gases.
Brilliant, when can I fit one to my car?
Hang on, hang on. Before you rush off to Halfords and start asking for porous zeolite (which is actually a crystalline mineral that, kind of ironically, is used as a catalyst for converting crude oil into petrol) Mazda is only beginning to develop this technology, and it's not going to be dealership-ready for a bit yet. Fingers crossed, though.